BEST STRAWBERRY POKE CAKE

Best Strawberry Poke Cake image

Strawberry Poke Cake is made with white cake, soaked with a mixture of white chocolate strawberry sauce, topped with strawberry pie filling and creamy whipped cream.

Provided by @MakeItYours

Number Of Ingredients 14

Ingredients

1 box white cake mix plus ingredients to prepare the mix
3 eggs whites
1 cup water
1/3 cup vegetable oil
Strawberry White Chocolate Mixture:
14 oz sweetened condensed milk
3/4 cups white chocolate chips
1 package (3 oz JELL-O strawberry flavor gelatin)
Other ingredients:
2 cans (21 oz each strawberry pie filling)
2 cups heavy whipping cream (full fat and cold)
2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
10-15 fresh strawberries (sliced)

Steps:

Prepare White Cake:
Preheat oven to 300F.
Grease and sprinkle with flour a 9-x-13 inch cake pan.
Prepare white cake mix according to box instructions. Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool for 10 minutes and using the bottom of a wooden spoon, poke holes all over the cake.
Strawberry White Chocolate Mixture:
In a medium, microwave safe bowl, combine white chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk. Heat in the microwave until hot for about 1 minute, stir and heat 30 seconds or more if needed. Stir until fully combined, smooth and shiny.
Stir in the strawberry gelatin mix.
Pour the strawberry chocolate mixture all over the cake and using a spatula spread it evenly into the holes.
Let the cake cool completely and refrigerate for about one hour.
Other layers:
Top the cake with the strawberry pie filling if using.
Whipped Cream:
In a large bowl, beat heavy cream, sugar, and vanilla extract until stiff peaks form.
Using a spoon, scoop the whipped cream all over the cake and spread it with a spatula.
Garnish:
Garnish the cake with sliced strawberries.
Refrigerate the cake for at least 8 hours or better overnight before serving.
Tips and Tricks:
Using a cake mix will reduce the prep time. A White Cake mix is best for this recipe.
The strawberry pie filling layer is optional, but it adds a nice flavor and texture to the cake.
To save time you can use store-bought whipped cream aka Cool-Whip instead of making your own.
You can make a Strawberry Jello mixture to fill the poke cake (Mix 1 (3 oz.) JELL-O Strawberry Flavor Gelatin with 1 cup of boiling water until completely dissolved, stir in 1/2 cup of cold water. Pour the mixture over the poked cake and refrigerate immediately for at least 3 hours).
Let the cake chill for at least 8 hours in the fridge before serving, this will make the cake extra tender.
Keep the cake refrigerated as the frosting will soften if kept at room temperature for too long.
Clean the knife after each cut, otherwise the slices will be messier, since the frosting may stick to the knife.
Fresh strawberries add a nice texture and flavor to the cake, don't skip them.